The Minister of the Budget, Laurent Saint-Martin, said he “ready that only half, 2 billion euros, can be requested from companies” instead of the 4 billion reduction in reductions in employer contributions initially presented in the budget, Sunday on LCI .
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To reduce the public deficit, in the draft budget for 2025 currently being examined in Parliament, the executive wishes in particular to reduce exemptions from employer contributions, the amount of which has doubled in ten years and is now close to 80 billion dinars. 'euros.
The Senate wants 7 additional hours of work per year without pay to finance Social Security
But at the beginning of November, the Minister of the Economy and Finance Antoine Armand had already said he wanted to reduce the increase in employer contributions on low wages planned in the 2025 budget, without quantifying this proposal, in exchange “other efforts” which may relate to the duration of work, recalls theAFP.
“We do not work enough to finance our social protection”also supported Laurent Saint-Martin on Sunday, declaring himself « favorable » to the Senate's proposal of 7 hours of additional work per year without remuneration requested from active workers to finance Social Security.
On Saturday, the president of Medef Patrick Martin denounced in the columns of Parisian and “recessive budget” and advocated the establishment of a “Social VAT”warning that with the planned tax increases, French companies risked hiring less and cutting jobs.
A “social VAT” refused
“If we combine the 4 billion euros of reduction in reductions in charges, the 2.5 billion euros transferred from health insurance to complementary health insurance – and, therefore, to companies -, the 1.5 billion euros in savings on learning aid, that adds up to 8 billion euros in labor costs. Which corresponds to the average annual gross salaries of 300,000 employees”he argued.
Questioned by journalists from LCI on the proposal of “Social VAT”Laurent Saint-Martin refused: “If you increase social VAT, you hit everyone, all consumers”he declared. The Senate must examine the Social Security budget from Monday in session, before the state budget the following week.
